by Kris Koments

Created on: June 03, 2010

Possibly the biggest mistake an online writer can make when using Twitter to promote their work is to abuse this social networking tool with link spam.

This article is meant as a guideline to better understand networking and how it can best work for you.  Link spamming, and why it isn't appropriate (most of the time,) along with what you can do to ensure a long and prosperous writing career while maintaining your credibility.

-Developing relations with your followers

There are great tools out there that can be utilized in order to make your social networking easier but they shouldn't be abused.  From time to time your networking buddies like to put a personality with those constant 'tweets with links' that are posted one after another all the day long.

They also like to share in the life and times of those they follow.  In other words, you are no more than a bot to them unless you maintain some type of personal interaction.

Have you ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?  Similar to that are those who have nothing to say, but rather, post their articles continuously.  Are they all great articles worth re-tweeting?  Probably not.

-Pay attention

Pay close attention to what you re-tweet.  Your believability and most importantly, your credibility is at stake here.  Forget the 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine' approach and only re-tweet those items you believe to be useful, entertaining, or just down right good.

An example on a greater scale.  Politics.  Would you help to promote any political party if what they believed in was against your personal morals and values?  Clear enough?

-Twitter no-no

Do you ever log in to your twitter account using something 'other than' a social networking tool which removes any personal interaction you might otherwise have with your followers?  This really is a networking no-no to serious networking individuals.

-Which type are you

One question you might consider asking.  Do you enjoy logging in to find your entire page packed with nothing but one person promoting their work and their work only, expecting everyone to blindly click away?  Of course, if you never log in, it probably isn't a problem you need to solve, but it might  be worth asking yourself this question:  Are you that person?

-Something you might be curious to know

If everyone is using applications that do their twittering for them, then who is clicking?

Seen the light yet? 

In conclusion

As a writer and fellow human being, there are many people who might look up to you, enjoy your creative musings and admire your person.  Pay attention to those people (fans) in your network.  Take the time to get to know them and help them get to know you.  Then click.

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